ENDODONTIC DENTISTRY provides the background, based on current practice by experts practising in the field of root canal therapy. The endodontic dentist operates on a diseased tooth by opening up access to the canal. Then he debrides the canal which means the removal of all the soft tissue. Then he irrigates the canal to remove any pulpal remnants, any or most of the bacteria, then he enlarges the canal to remove any irregularities or rough surfaces on the inside of the canal, and the enlarging process is continued so that he can now put in a "POINT". A "point" is generally made of a thermoplastic material such as gutta percha, and is indeed referred to as a "GUTTA PERCHA POINT". Silver wire points are also used, but this is not within the purview of this invention. A Gutta Percha point as commonly used is made by "Indian Head Inc" in Switzerland. It consists of a thermoplastic thermoadhesive rod about 11/2 inches long and varying in diameter from 0.010" to 0.090", different diameters being designated by different size numbers.
Many problems arise, which this invention seeks to overcome. One of the problems is repeated X-Rays in the mouth of the patient. X-Raying is always time-consuming and not always accurate, due to the anatomy at the end of the tooth and the angle at which the X-Ray is taken. The time of development and fixing, the X-radiation of progressive and successive X-Rays are all necessary to avoid the over-instrumentation of the canal, which means that the dentist must not force the implant material (the gutta percha point) inside the canal, past the apex of the tooth to create an irritant. But how is the proximity to the apex to be visualized other than by repeated and progressive in-tooth X-Rays? This invention provides an answer as specified in these specifications and in the drawings and claims. The dentist seeks accuracy. The end of the guttapercha "point" theoretically should terminate at the apex of the tooth or one mm. in front of the apex. Many times an X-Ray taken of the apex of the tooth shows the gutta percha point to be shy of the apex when it is actually touching the apex. This is due to the fact that the apex of the tooth is curved towards the film and the Gutta Percha point goes around and also follows the curvature of the root canal and is actually at the very end of the tooth. Many times, and in about 75% of the cases encountered by Dr. Pitz over sixteen years and about 4000 cases of root-canal surgery, the apex is not at the end of the tooth but somewhere off to the side. If the location is not accurate, then, and in the absence of intimate contact of the implanted gutta percha point with the white blood cells, and in the presence of the remnants of the pulpal tissue, or the presence of bacteria, there will be an antigen antibody reaction and anything might happen to traumatise the patient, from an apical scar, to a fulminating abscess, to a cyst. The new implant and the implantation technology invented here, permits the progression of the implant to be read by an electrical resistance reading offered by the conductive carbon fibers contained therewithin or thereabout, and as a final step an electrical force is applied to the same conductive fibers causing them to get heated hot. This heating is regarded as the endogenous heating capability of the new implant. By the application of electrical current, or supersonic vibrations the point will get heated by virtue of the carbon fibers therewithin. The amount of heating, the periods of heating are all controlled by the dentist during the progression of the point towards the apex of the canal. Simultaneously the proximity indicating capability of the point is utilised by an electrical meter reading. This endogenous capability ensures, in the hands of the trained dentist, that the inside of the canal is never overheated to cause tissue damage. The thermoadhesive point is finally tamped ("condensed") into place towards the end of the canal close to the apex. The point in its final place as electrically measured and in addition if desired, endogenously heated, is able to seal the entire root-canal with physiological elegance.